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This five-storey, 1930s limestone villa has just 32 rooms, but the property - in manicured grounds behind rampart-like walls - feels a lot bigger, with a four-metre-high front door guarded by dapper bellboys, a cavernous lobby and outsize chandeliers. Old and new meld almost seamlessly throughout: the fireplaces are original, but the windows are double-glazed; Art Deco-style armoires contain the TVs. The main restaurant, the Han Lin Gold Palace, is Cantonese rather than local, with shark's fin topping the menu. Afternoon tea and Western-style cuisine are served at the Mansion Skyline, which has a rooftop terrace with views of Xiangyang Park and the onion-domed Russian Orthodox church. The hotel's weekend barbecues (with mulled wine) are popular with Shanghai's burgeoning expatriate population.
WHEN TO GO
Avoid Olympian August.
ROOM TO BOOK
Any of the Balcony King rooms, to best appreciate the leafy lanes of the former French Concession below.
82 Xin Le Road, Shanghai (00 86 21 5403 9888; www.chinamansionhotel.com). Suites from US$281; Balcony Kings from US$385
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